cherry red road
by teaandcookies1000
Summary: Jane and Lisbon face their feelings during a not-planned road trip but things don't go as planned... Jisbon of course;)
1. Chapter 1

******Hey guys! This is my first published fanfiction, I hope you like it! And I really wanna thank Monica bby for helping me out with this33;)(I hope u won't die of ur feels haha^^)**

It was a rainy day and Jane was sitting in his attic after they had successfully solved another murder. The killer had been very smart, but not smart enough for Jane. He always caught them whether they tried hard not to be caught or not. He was surprised by himself, that he'd managed to stay away from trouble this time. Maybe he got older? No, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he just had a lot on his mind. Memories that floated him whenever they wanted. They made him stop what he was doing and try choke back his tears.

It was his birthday.

When he'd still had his family Charlotte would give him a self-made picture of their family and his wife would have given him a kiss and then they'd go out to a fancy restaurant and eat dinner there. He 'd loved his birthdays back then, but now he didn't like them anymore. Every year his mind tortured himself with pictures of his smiling daughter and this left a big hole in his heart. Every year he prayed that it wouldn't be that bad again and every year he had to endure it again.

But this time it was harder than anytime before. The last victim had been a girl, 12. Her hair was dark brown and short, but something in her face had reminded him of his daughter. Something always did.

A knock on the door kicked him out of his thoughts.

„Jane, have you taken my laptop again?" Lisbon shouted from outside. „Lisbon! Come in!"

She entered the attic and looked around only to see her laptop lying on the mattress of the makeshift bed of his. „Jane, what did you need it for?You just could've asked me!"

„Lisbon, I can't tell you..."he told her and looked to the ground, so that he didn't have to look into her eyes. „We are partners! You can tell me everything! And since it's my laptop, I think I have the right to know!"

„It's about Red John...I shouldn't tell you..."

„Jane, I can keep secrets, you know you need to trust me! Look, I trust you, you trust me, that's how it works!"

„Ok but do you trust me, Lisbon? Last time you told me I was untrustworthy and you didn't trust me!"

„Times are changing! That was five years ago! Look Jane, I need you to know that you can trust me! I will always support you!"She looked him in the eyes now."Do you understand?"

Jane looked up and his face lit up „ That's a nice thing to hear Lisbon! It must've taken you a lot of courage to admit that to me and I'm happy you did it!" he took her hand"Lisbon, you are the one and only person I really trust with my whole life. But you've known this already." She looked him in the eyes and saw that he meant it. It made her feel safe and calmed her down. He could see how this made her happy and he took her hand and they stayed like this for a couple of minutes, enjoying the peace of this moment.

„Lisbon we have to get somewhere, but I cant tell you where. It's time."

„But it's in the middle of the night! And I just wanted to go home!"

„Lisbon, you just said you trusted me! And now that?" he teased her.

„Ok I'll come with you!"

They drove for about two hours and stopped at a motel at the east end of the desert near Jane wanted to get two rooms but the clerk said there was only one left. They took their stuff and went upstairs. When he opened the door he could see that there was also only one big bed. He thought about whether he should sleep on the tiny couch or share the bed with his partner. „Ahm Lisbon, how...do you feel about...um...Sleeping in one bed with your...consultant?"he asked her shyly, hoping that she wouldn't mind.

„Jane...as long as you don't hog the blankets it's okay."she answered after a short hesitation, with a small smile on her lips, she had thought about this for a while and now her dreams came true.

Jane was surprised that she still hadn't asked about what his plan was and that she had agreed on sharing the bed with him but was happy about it.

They showered (separate^^) and afterwards they went to sleep. When they lay down, still in their normal clothes,because they hadn't packed anything for the trip, they faced each other. „Jane...don't you want to tell me what we are doing here? Or where we're going?"

He didn't want to look at her because he knew exactly how hurt she was, that he didn't tell her his plans„It's difficult and I really don't want to put you in danger..."

„Jane just tell me, I am a cop, I can handle dangerous situations! And you know what we talked about earlier! You said you trusted me...I don't know what I should think anymore!"

Jane turned on his back and thought about not telling her again, but then he remembered what she'd done for him through the years and reconsidered. „Ahm Lisbon there is something I need to tell you. I...I have narrowed down the suspects to three." He let the statement hung in the air for a moment.

„Why haven't you told me?! I would've helped you!"

„Lisbon... He knows everything I do! You saw what he did when I had the seven suspects! I bet he even knows what I...what I feel for you!" He realized what he'd said immediately and wished he'd never said it. He could hear that Lisbon's breath stopped for a moment and regretted it. He knew she had feelings for him since the case where they'd met John Barlowe. He hadn't made a big deal out of what he'd said, but had thought about it a lot since. It had hit him that she could've returned his feelings all the time and he wondered how everything could've been differently if they'd known.

„Jane, what...do you mean by that?"

He stared at the ceiling, weighing wether he should tell her or not.

He turned around, facing her now. „Lisbon you know what I said to you last year before I fake-shot you. And I meant it. Every word. I...uhm...I love you, Lisbon."

She looked at him, just looked at him with those green eyes in which he could see shock and joy and love. „Jane, I love you too" she said and looked him into the eyes. "Happy birthday, Jane"

He felt how happiness flooded his body and soul and it made him feel good the first time since weeks. He reached out his hand and took Lisbon's.

"This is by far the best present anyone has ever given me!" He came closer with his face until their foreheads touched. She felt whole, complete and it was nice to go to sleep with a body next to her. Someone warm and calming. She felt his breath on her skin and he could feel hers. He knew that his love was safe and so did she. They were content, at least for this short time they'd found happiness in was one of these moments where you cant wish for anything else, where all you ant is there, where the world stands still and it was good. They stayed like that until they fell asleep.

The next morning the alarm went off at 5am. Jane jerked and Lisbon woke up because she was draped over Jane's body. She wasn't happy about that, she would've rather slept longer in the warmth of their two bodies, but everything would be better after she had had her coffee. She hated getting up early but it was a part of her job and she was used to they got into the car at 5:30 after picking up some breakfast. Jane got some tea and some scrambled eggs to go and Lisbon got a coffee and a bearclaw. They ate in the car and afterwards they drove farther south.

„Jane, now what are we doing?You didn't tell me yesterday but now you can't escape the question."

she told him with a warning tone in her voice.

„Ok Lisbon, as you know I have narrowed down the suspects to 3. Do you want to know the names or not? And I have to talk to someone I know down there who can help me out."

„Oh ok, good to know after all this time, and yes of course I want to know the names! What have you been thinking?!"

„You have to promise me you won't tell anybody what I'll tell you now." he said and looked her in the eyes again, searching for her approvement.

„I promise!" he could see that she meant it, so he told her.

„The three suspects are now Partridge, Bertram and Haffner."

He had never expected her to stay that calm, but she just nodded and looked out of the window, thinking about the new developments.

„Jane, who do you think it is?" she asked him after a while.

He thought about it a few minutes comparing the three people he had known for a long time now and said" Personally I think it could be Bertram, but I don't really know...Maybe he's too old, because of what Rosalind Harker told me. Her description would fit Partridge but he doesn't have the connections, so it could be Haffner too, because he would have the connections...I think I need your help"

She was happily surprised that Jane would let her into his research and it occurred to her, that this must be a sign of immense trust towards her.

So she smiled a sad smile and had to remember the conversation with Ray Haffner earlier when he had offered her a job at his private agency. She had told him that she would't do it because she liked her Job and he had found out that it was mostly about Jane. She couldn't quit the job, because then she would lose Jane and that couldn't happen but of course she liked her team too but it was obviously Jane who held her there. She had found out that Haffner was a member of this creepy church community named Visualize. But she hadn't told Jane and that was something that was on her mind and maybe she handheld back a valuable information about his family's killer. She felt guilty and couldn't knee it from him any longer. "Of course, I'll help you, but there is something I really should tell you and it bugs me that I haven't told you yet. Ray Haffner is a member of Visualize."

Jane looked at her and smiled his half smile.

„Lisbon that is sweet of you, but since I've done a bunch of research on all these guys I already know he joined the church when he was a teenager and worked at the CBI since 1993. He has a girlfriend inside the church...and so on..."

„Oh ok that's good but do you really think that he could be a cruel murderer?"she asked him worried about the answer, because Ray was a friend of her and he couldn't imagine that he would be able to be the murderer of Jane's family and other women and men.

She didn't want to believe it. But it was just the same with Bertram. He was like the grumpy grandpa to her and she didn't want him to be red John either!All in all she just wanted him to be anyone they didn't know at all! She didn't want to know that she had put her trust in a serial killer.

„We can't exclude him just because you don't want him to be the bad man...I know how you feel but maybe he was it and maybe not..."

They drove until they needed to stop at a gas station. Jane refilled the tank and Lisbon excused herself to the toilet. Jane thought how nice life would be if they spent their life on the road, no-home, just the car and them, from motel to motel with no boundaries. But then he thought how nice it would be to build up a life with Lisbon, move in with her and wake up every morning with her by his side.

He paid for the gas and sat in the car waiting for Lisbon.

When Lisbon wanted to go back to the car afterwards suddenly someone tok her from behind and pressed a piece of cloth to her face. She tried not to breath in the toxic as but falied after a few seconds and the world went dark...


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is the 2nd chapter! Thanks for the reviews! I never thought I'd get any but yay! So I hope you enjoy it:))**

Jane sat in the car, his legs crossed, thinking about the future until after a while, a loud noise tore him out of his thoughts.

The car behind him had honked at him to make space at the gas tap. He looked at his watch and saw that almost twenty minutes had passed since Lisbon was gone. Was this normal? Maybe, but not for Lisbon! She always was a quick person, concerning things like that.

Maybe he should go, look for her? In general he wasn't paranoid, but when it came to Lisbon he got worried too quickly, so he got out of his old car, locked it on the side of the gas station and followed the toilet signs.

When he stormed into the women's bathroom and asked for Lisbon he got no answer, just a few disgusted looks from two old ladies who looked a him through the dirty mirrors beneath the sinks. „You're in the wrong one, blondie" the one snapped at him and so he got out again after he couldn't find any sign of his partner there.

It was the same in the gas-station-shop and the close area around the gas station. He got more and more desperate by the time and his mind already pictured her tortured in a dark place with a Red John smiley above her head.

When he tried to call her, her phone went straight to voice mail, so he called Van Pelt who should be at the office with the team, because nobody knew that he had taken Lisbon on a road trip. She picked up after the third ring.

"Jane! Where are you? And is Lisbon with you?" she sounded worried and so did he.

„I am at the Shell Gas Station and I had Lisbon with me but... Grace... I think she was abducted!"

„Oh Jane that's horrible!When did you see her last?"

„About 30 minutes ago I think! Could you try to track her phone? When I tried calling her it went straight to voicemail!"

„That was my intention...wait up"

„Jane, the phone says she's still at the ladies room in the gas station"

„I'll go check there again!"

Van Pelt could hear how the hope of finding his partner lit up his voice and she really wished that she would be there.

Once again Jane went to the restroom, the two old ladies were gone by now thank god, so he could search the whole room. He found her phone a few minutes later destroyed on the floor.

XOXOXOXOX

When she woke up she couldn't see anything, her pupils needed a few seconds to get used to the dark. She was confused.

The last thing she could remember, was her breakfast in the car with Jane and then...nothing...black as night.

When she looked around she saw that she was most likely in the back of a truck, which was definitely moving! She groped her belt to see if she her gun was there, but it wasn't. They must've taken it. She slowly considered freaking out a little but, but stopped and told herself to stay strong and rational. It wouldn't help her to lose her nerves now.

So she tried to get up, but her legs wouldn't do what she wanted them to do and so she fell down again, just able to catch herself before hitting her head on a side of the wall.

She crawled to the backside of the truck where she assumed the door was, but she couldn't open it, it was locked.

She knew that it was pointless to try over and over again and so she crawled in a corner and wrapped herself to a ball and thought about Jane.

Where was he? Had he been abducted too? Did they hurt him? And if not, would he find her? She was worried that they took him from her and felt alone, so alone.

She wanted to lay in bed again and cuddle with him and enjoy life like no one could hurt them, but reality took her back with a hard jolting of the truck as it drove over a rock.

She tried to think like Jane would and smelled the air next to the exit. It smelled like nature, as if there was a river nearby...

XOXOXOXOXO

All he could think was, that maybe he'd never see her again. Now it finally had happened. They had taken her from him, his only reason for carrying on. Now that she was gone he remembered what she'd done for him over the years!

First of all she had put up with him for a long time, ten years plus to be precisely and had put her job on risk by helping him.

She did it for him, but always said it was the job, but he knew better.

She had forgiven him about the Lorelei stuff, at least he thought she had, and that proved her loyalty once again.

She had been so upset the whole time he was gone and it got even worse when she had found out about Lorelei.

Now that he recalled, what had happened it must've been even worse for her and he knew it had been a terrible mistake from him. Even when he had told her he loved her and taken it back, she just had let him his space.

He knew he didn't deserve her and had hurt her over and over again, but he was a selfish man and now that he knew that she felt the same, he couldn't let her go.

So he sat in his car driving farther away to his friend down there. He just could've gotten back to Sacramento, but he was pretty sure that the abdication was red Johns work, so he had to catch him to get her back. He had always feared this moment, when Red John would use her to get to him, and now it had hit him in the face like a fist-punch. He knew now that she was his only weakness.

Should he tell the team? He definitely should! Why had he even thought about that! They were a huge help and maybe someone had seen something...but deep inside he knew that it was too late to ask for witnesses, hell, she had been abducted at a gas station!

Van Pelt called a few minutes later, asking him where he was. She said the team would come after him in a few hours, looking for evidence at the gas station, but he doubted that they would find anything. She told him that they would find her and that everything would be alright and he told her he loved her(Lisbon). She told him that she knew, and that it would be okay.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Lisbon wasn't sure what time it was, because she had been in the truck for at least three hours now, conscious.

Suddenly the vehicle stopped and she heard men-voices from outside. "Just knock her out again! He won't mind, it's safer after all." All she could think was: not again!

This time, she would fight!

When they opened the truck door she could see, that they were somewhere in the woods. There was a block house between the trees, which looked very scary, like a witch's house, only worse. She didn't like creepy houses and this was like a nightmare for her.

Then she saw the two men. One was about twenty five and the other one like forty. But wait... she knew the one man. Where from?! She couldn't recall it and then they came inside, guns drawn, and looking at her as if she was a pray.

"Haha, just look at her, we won't need to knock her out, she's beaten..." the one man said to the other one. And he was right.

She wanted to fight them, but had no chance and no will to go against two armed men, so she let them handcuff and blindfold her. And once again, the world went dark.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Jane had been driving for 4 hours and finally he reached his friend's house. He stopped his car and just sat there, calming down his thoughts and remembering why he wanted to go there in the first place. He wanted information.

He sat there, his arms on the steering wheel and his head on his arms and watched his shoes. When he looked to the side, he saw Lisbon's gun lying on the ground.

Lisbon never let go of her gun he knew that. She even carried one when she went buying some coffee in the morning.

When he bent down to pick it up he saw that there was a note attached. He breathed heavily, unpleasantly surprised that he hadn't seen it earlier, and picked up the weapon.

"Tiger, tiger...I know what you are doing. You know who I am after dialing the number, but also your Lisbon will die, if anyone else uses this number for anything, just saying. Give up and let me know and maybe she's still alive by then. I will know Patrick, believe me. You have two days in which Lisbon won't be treated well. Tiger, tiger..." the number was on the backside: "+5926 3740 70 85"

He looked down in shock. Now he was sure, it was Red John, and this time more cruel than ever before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter. Please let me know how I'm doing, corrections or tips are very wanted;)(Thank u Amie for helping me with the spelling and stuff;):*!) **

He sat in his car after talking to his friend, who couldn't help him. He had asked him about the three people, but he either didn't want to say anything or he really knew nothing, which he didn't quite believe. So he decided to spend a few nights in a motel room. He needed time to think, time to save his Lisbon. He already missed her badly and it hurt in his soul to think about her now.

When he arrived at the motel, near the gas station where she had been abducted, he paid for his room and then sat down there on the bed. In his hands there was Red John's note, which he was staring at like crazy.

He could just call the number and give up, but he knew if he did that, he would never get his revenge and it was still possible that he would kill Lisbon as a punishment. He was pretty sure this would happen, so he couldn't give up yet. He had to try! He had to solve this puzzle. Maybe there was a message inside the message?

Could be, but he was tired, it was already 2am and he definitely needed some sleep, so he lay down and let the tiredness win. He would be able to think more clearly, where shadows already disturbed his view, tomorrow. He hated that the human body needed sleep when he would rather stay up and think, but he couldn't do anything against it.

XOXOXOXO

When they lifted her blindfold, she saw that she was in a basement. It must've been the block house's basement, which she would describe as a box out of concrete.

She felt like an animal, caged inside a house and she hated it. She wondered how long she'd have to stay there and figured that it didn't matter as long as she would get out alive.

There were so many things she wanted to do, wanted to see, wanted to live!

First of all she really would like to move on with Jane. Now that they were aware of their feelings, there was nothing that could hold her back from being in a relationship with him.

She wanted to share an apartment and more importantly one bed. They hadn't even kissed yet and she was already sure that he was the right man for her, the man she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.

Now that she thought about it, she had to say, that their relationship had been a good one, like in a movie. They had known each other for so long and now their feelings towards each other had shown. Finally.

According to Van Pelt there had been sexual tension between them for years and one time she had even asked her, if they secretly were a couple! Lisbon had been shocked and had told her that they weren't and that it was none of her business, but already then she had been sad afterwards, that she had to tell Van Pelt that they weren't.

Life was weird sometimes...

XOXOXOXOXO

Jane woke up early, again. He gathered his mind and thought about the three suspects.

He started with Bertram. He had so many connections and he made it into the three most likely suspects, but now when he recalled what Rosalind Harker had said he had to say that he just couldn't be the killer. Rosalind had described him as a man with short hair and Bertram was bald, had been bald for years now, so he could be excluded-for now. He had to move on! He didn't have that much time! So he was down to two suspects. He had to ask the team for help now, that was for sure! And concerning Lisbon, he read the message once again.

"Tiger, tiger...I know what you are doing. You know who I am after dialing the number, but also your Lisbon will die, if anyone else uses this number for anything, just saying. Give up and let me know and maybe she's still be alive by then. I will know Patrick, believe me. You have two days in which Lisbon won't be treated well. Tiger, tiger...+5926 3740 70 85"

He had nothing, really nothing so he tried to see if the old code where the numbers stood for the letters of the alphabet worked. But all he got out was a bunch of nonesense.

Maybe if he...no...but he had to try.

"Ok... If 5 is a r, then 9...e, 26...d, 37...w, 40...o, 70...o, 85...d...Redwood?" he talked to himself now.

Could that be? Could he have gotten the message? Red John... Redwood! It must be!

He stood up and looked for his phone, it was in his left jacket pocket. His fingers trembled as he typed in the Van Pelt's number, but he managed to do it.

"Van Pelt! Hello! I think I found something! At least concerning Lisbon, but I can't tell you on the phone. Could you get the guys and come to my motel asap?" he was excited and full of hope and that was something at least.

"Ok Jane tell me the address, and we'll come in a bit. We're in a motel too. We didn't want to get back to the office, because out here we'll have more access to the roads and the local people, who could help us...maybe."She sounded excited.

"It's ok, Grace, just hurry up! You have your electronic stuff with you, right?"

"Yes!"

He told her the address and sat down on the bed again, staring at the ceiling thinking about his suspects. Maybe he didn't need to know his identity or kill him... he doubted that his life would dramatically change afterwards- it hadn't after he had shot Timothy Carter.

He hadn't felt better. Just guilty and maybe a little bit relieved but he couldn't say that he had become a new person... He had never expected that, but...he didn't even know what he wanted anymore...

All he knew for sure was that he needed her.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

She couldn't do anything but sit there and wait.

She didn't have a bed there, just a blanket and a small children's pillow. The last night had been horrible. She couldn't sleep, her thoughts didn't allow her to. They constantly drifted to Jane and how badly she missed him here.

Her personal consultant had turned into her person and was in her thoughts all the time, telling her that he loved her. The basement and the handcuffs didn't make it easy to sleep either. It was cold and it must've rained, because there was water dripping to the floor in one corner.

She had also thought about escaping, of course, but realised that the only exit was a case door on the ceiling which was far too high up for her.

The kidnappers hadn't brought her anything to eat and she got hungry after about 24 hours without food.

Then around midday one of the two men opened the case door and let down a rope ladder and climbed down to her, where he looked at her. Her face was pale and she shivered because of the coldness.

She had bruises all over her body, because of the kidnapping and the ride in the truck while she had been unconscious. All in all, she didn't look good.

They gave her a slice of bread, like they would in a prison. Then the man told her how she would never get out again and that Red John would kill her if Jane didn't find her, and that there was almost a zero chance of survival for her.

She knew what he did. Psychological punishment, something that could leave deep scars behind, she had seen it on Jane. But she was strong, her personality was strong and she knew she could do it, she would never give up. When she looked the man in the face it hit her like a lightning strike. She knew who he was!


	4. Chapter 4

**OK here is the 4th chapter! Please tell me wether I should write more or if I should go for a quick end...lol;) Thanks Amie again3:* Again, reviews are very welcomed:))**

For gods sake! The man was gone. He had left a few minutes after he had threatened her and she knew who he was.

Now that she knew it was obvious!

He was the portiere of the CBI in Sacramento!

The man she must've passed at least 1000 times by now!

His name was Lewis something- she couldn't remember the surname. She had never talked to him apart from the odd hello or how are you. Just small talk...

When it came to such things as names, she was a bad one. She had never easily memorized names, especially surnames.

She looked up to the case door and wished that there was any kind of escape, but there was none! This always destroyed her hopes and the feeling that it could end well after all...

She didn't want to think about such sad things, so she thought about Jane and the team. Cho and Rigsby, who acted like a gay couple at times, and Van Pelt and Rigsby with all of their "things", which she shouldn't know anything about.

For her they were the perfect couple. She had thought about things like that when crime was going slow in Sacramento and had to say that they fitted together perfectly! Their babies would be so cute, which led her to the next topic to think about.

Babies.

She and Jane would also get pretty babies! With Jane as the father, they would look like angels! But she definitely wouldn't plan it... If it happens, it happens...And she also didn't know if Jane would ever want to be a father again...

She jerked as the case door flew open and Lewis stretched his head into the basement, through the ceiling. He was beaten up and there was blood dripping from his nose... "Agent, we will leave in a few, be prepared!" She was confused and didn't know what to think, but she went with him when he came again, because he was her only chance of survival now.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Van Pelt and the boys came after half an hour. She had her big silver suitcase with her, which Jane assumed has computers inside. He was right of course.

"Jane, you found something?" She asked him, as he let Van Pelt and her followers into the motel-room.

Rigsby sat down on the couch and Cho stayed next to the door like a bodyguard.

Van pelt took her computer and placed it on the small table next to the television.

"Ok, what I tell you now could be considered as top secret. Do you understand, you mustn't tell a soul!" They all nodded, so Jane started.

"So Lisbon was abducted at the gas station yesterday. I was driving down to a friend who should've given me information about Red John, which he didn't do. To get to the point, I received a message from Red John in which he told me that Lisbon wouldn't be treated well and that he'd give me 48 hours to find her, otherwise he would probably kill her" his voice cracked at the last word and the team's eyes were wide open and they all looked very worried...

"But I found something... Inside the message and with a code I can't tell you, I figured that Lisbon must be somewhere in the redwood forest national park. I know it is a huge area to search, but I have other things you could type into your search..."

Van Pelt opened the computers and after typing in the passwords she opened the search programme. "Here we have Redwood forest, it's about 534,1 square kilometers big... Jane, what should I look for? There are about 200 houses!"

"Ok, I would say he needs a house or a small shelter to keep her. But since they are in a national forest, every house and the changes there have to be registered by the state. Since Red John is a busy man, he won't be there very often, so filter the houses which haven't had any changes for the last 10 years too."  
" We're down to seventy-eight, Jane!"

"Now let's try if any of the owners has "Roy" in his name..."

"Jane there are five left!"

"Now take that one which is nearest to the gas station..." he sounded very excited and so did Van Pelt! In only one minute they had found out the place where Lisbon could be!

"Okay, we have the house! It's in the forest somewhere so we'll have to get there using GPS, though there should be a road. Please drive with us Jane and don't take your own car, it'll be way safer!"

Joy flooded Jane's body when he thought about the near saving of Lisbon. Would she be ok, would she be alive?!

Those were the questions which were on his mind the whole time when they were driving.

Everything had happened quickly then...Three swat teams had been ordered and they had left only half an hour after they had found the house.

He had to admit it was very beautiful outside!

Maybe he would have gone on a camping trip here once he and Lisbon were together, but now the place was connected to too many bad memories- for him and for Lisbon. They wouldn't be able to go there anymore without thinking about all the horrible things that had happened, that happened right now.

After a while they crossed a river...

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The man stood in the room pulling out his gun with a silencer on it. He shot in the right upper corner of the room, helped Lisbon up the rope stairs and then put his finger to his mouth to signal her to be quiet.

They went through a dark hallway, through an iron door and then ended up in a light room, which must be the living room. She nearly tripped when she wanted to go to the exit, because there was a dead man lying on the ground. He had a bullet-hole in his chest, right into the heart. Lewis must've shot him to get them both out and that was something she'd never do. However in this moment it was ok for her even if she was shocked.

They hurried outside as quietly as possible and all he said to her then was: "run"

"Thank you, Lewis!" she whispered after him as he went back into the house again.

Why did he do that? Why did he leave her alone and go back inside?

She had no time to think about it now; she had to get away from there.

But in which direction?

Where to?

She didn't know.

Then she remembered that during the outward journey she had heard a river and the street must lead there, because that was where they had been driving. So she walked on the side of the street slowly because her legs still weren't completely fine and her body ached.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Ten more minutes, guys!" Van Pelt shouted from the passenger seat and Jane got more and more excited staring out of the window, hoping that they would be there sooner if he did. Cho and Rigsby sat next to him in their bullet proof vests, Rigsby's knees bobbing impatiently and Cho as calm as always.

Jane thought about the time Red John had given him. He had one and a half hours to go until he would kill her.

But what if they had the wrong hut, or if Lisbon was somewhere completely different?

What would he do then?

Would he give up?

If there was a chance that she was still alive by then he certainly wouldn't give up.

But he prayed to god that this house would be the right one and so did everyone in the car.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

She couldn't run anymore, her legs were so tired and so was her whole body. She was feeling so bad, mostly because she hadn't eaten anything, besides the slice of bread last night, and this hadn't been enough for her sore body. She desperately wanted to go ahead and she managed about five more meters, but then her legs gave in and she fell to the floor like an old sack of potatoes. She was beaten.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Suddenly the car stopped. Jane heard a frightened gasp from Van Pelt. He didn't see anything on the backseat so he asked what was the matter but Van Pelt just said: "Jane, get out of the car..." And so he did...


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait, but I wasn't in the "writing-mood", but now I'm back in again^^:) Thank u again Amie, ur amazing:***

Jane stormed out of the car as if he would die if he didn't.

He saw that there was something on the side of the road, something big, something in clothes. It just lay there and didn't move. When he got closer, he saw that it was a human so he bent down, only to see a black wave of hair hiding the face from the sunlight.

It was...it had to be Lisbon!

He carefully stroked her hair out of her face and now they could all be sure, it was Lisbon.

Her face was as pale as a ghost and there were bruises on her forehead and on her jaw.

When he saw that she was barely breathing he was shocked and full of sorrow, but knew that she was alive and that was the most important thing.

He considered calling an ambulance but then, when he thought about it, he couldn't. Now that she had fled, he had to think that Red John was looking for her. They were on the run!

He picked her up to get her into the car and Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt and some guy from the CBI, who had driven them here, got out and helped him to place Lisbon in the passenger seat. She moaned when they placed her there and then went quiet as Jane calmed her with his words.

"Shhh Lisbon, it'll be ok honey. We're gonna get you home and the guys will handle the situation for now. You can do it, I believe in you, Lisbon, I love you."

She must've fallen asleep because her head was tilted to the side and she had stopped moaning in discomfort.

Jane drove back to the motel, where he had left his stuff, stopping at a grocery store beforehand because he had nothing to eat and no band aids for Lisbon's injuries. He knew he had to hurry so he took the first best stuff he saw and hurried back to the car. When they arrived at the motel he unfastened her seatbelt and carried her upstairs to his room where he lay her down on the bed, tucking her into the blankets.

He sat down on the bed next to her, looking at his sleeping beauty and what they'd done to her. He couldn't see her face but her left sleeve was pushed up and there he could see violet stripes from where handcuffs must've been.

She must've fought like a tiger at one point, or they'd just made them too tight for her wrists, but he believed it was the first one.

He sat by her side for almost four hours, just going outside to call Van Pelt once in a while, but nothing had happened yet. He didn't really know what he wanted. If Red John came to check on the house, he wouldn't be there, but if he didn't come, they wouldn't get him at all.

But then he thought that now that he had Lisbon, he could easily just call the number on the note he'd left. But he had to talk to Lisbon first. She always managed to sort out his thoughts, even if they just talked...

When she woke up, at first she didn't know where she was but Jane lay next to her, his face snuggled into her hair. He looked peaceful although there were notions of sorrow to be seen around his eyes. The place looked like a motel room, a small one.

She looked around and decided to wake Jane. She let her fingers strike through his hair and whispered: "Jane, wake up, where are we? "

He opened his eyes and blinked a lot and then looked at her as if she was an angel.

"Lisbon... we are at the motel and Van Pelt and the team are outside in the forests trying to catch Red John."

She needed a little time to process what she'd just heard, but then she looked at him full of love for this selfless man.

He had stayed by her side, even though there was the possibility of catching red John, this time for real, the man they had chased for years now, the man who had kept them from being together and who made life so much more difficult for both of them.

He had murdered Jane's family and then Jane had wanted vengeance and things went too far more than once...

He had been in prison, had had a mental breakdown (she wasn't sure if everything about that had been faked), and some personal differences she didn't want to think about.

She knew how important it was for him, for his, their future.

"Jane you didn't have to stay with me, you could've just stayed there and had Van Pelt drive me here! But I'm glad you didn't..."

"I couldn't leave you." was all he said and that was all she needed to know that he would be always by her side when she needed him. She reached out to his hand and their fingers intertwined.

"Jane it will work this time! I can't promise, but I'm pretty sure this time." She looked at him and squeezed his hand. His eyes were closed and a small smile lingered on the corners of his mouth.

"Sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but I need to eat something, Jane. They only gave me one slice of bread and water... I'm starving!"

"Of course! So we've got cookies, some sandwiches and I've bought some instant coffee..."

After she had eaten, they lay down on the bed again, because Lisbon didn't feel that well. They sat there with their cups in their hands and watched TV, the cookies between them.

After the news Jane turned to her and said: "Lisbon I have to talk to you, but...we need to patch you up first..."

"Jane... I'm ok! Really! It's just a few scratches, so no need to..." he interrupted her.

"Forget it Lisbon, let me look at it and then I'll decide how bad it is, no discussion!"

He took her face into his hands and stroked his fingers over her cheek. The bruise there was almost yellow by now and so he decided to only give her a small peck there.

He could feel how she smiled and asked:"Would you please take off your blouse? It's not very fancy anymore; I mean it's torn on the backside, so I'm sure you have injuries on your back as well..."

She looked at him curious and lifted one eyebrow thinking about him, thinking dirty thoughts. When she tried to, a sharp pain stung in her shoulder, the left one.

"Ugh!" she gasped under pain and the all of a sudden her shoulder started to hurt like hell again. Now she remembered that it had hurt when she was lying on the floor next to the street too but she had been so weak, that she hadn't paid attention to it. She could recall that she had hit a branch lying on the floor before she collapsed there but now it was way more painful.

"Lisbon! Are you ok?!" Jane worried.

She nodded, a tear falling down her face.

"No Lisbon, you're not! Look at me! Just for once admit that you are not fine! It doesn't matter, you are not weak, you are human!"

She hesitated..."Jane...It hurts!"

"It's ok, hon, let me see. May I?" She nodded. He slowly helped her out of the blouse and then looked at her shoulder. What he saw wasn't good at all. There was a broad, deep scratch on her shoulder, which still bled a little bit. It couldn't have bled much because there had been no blood when they had found her. Sometimes injuries were like that….

"Jane, how does it look?" she asked him, anxiously.

"Um, not so good I'd say, but I'm not a doctor..."

He put a healing cream on the scratch and bandaged it, so it didn't hurt that much anymore and it helped. Afterwards she took some painkillers and everything looked better as the pain disappeared from Lisbon's face.

"We have to see the doctor once we are done with the Red John crap, so hopefully today or tomorrow. But we can't risk getting you near a hospital before the danger is removed. Remember what he did with the last witness...and you are even more! I mean you don't know who he is, but he failed at keeping you..."

He looked at her full of sorrow, because her life was the most important to him, that she was ok and happy if possible.

"Jane you wanted to talk about something!" she suddenly remembered that he had asked her that earlier.

"Oh, true! So we are in a kinda bad situation right now because ….because I can't decide what I should do.

I have two opportunities.

But first you have to know, that when they abducted you Red John left me a message with a phone number on it which lead me to your location, because I got down to two suspects. He said if I dialed the number I would give up and you would probably be killed but I would know who he was."

He looked at her to see how she reacted and he could see that she was so sorry for what he had gone through these last few hours. She felt guilty.

"Lisbon...it's not your fault! Don't blame yourself!" He laid his hand on her thigh and she covered it with hers. "But Jane...I caused so much...so much trouble for you! I didn't want you to suffer!

"Oh my saint Teresa! I'm just glad you are here with me and ok, that's all that matters."

He looked her in the eyes and leaned forward. He kissed her cheek, coming closer to her mouth with every feather-light kiss. Shortly before he had reached his place of desire, Lisbon turned her head and gave him a passionate kiss. It started slowly and sweet but got a little bit rougher by the minute...Their sexual tension had become huge after ten years, nearly unbearable, but they had managed to live with it. They'd both just sucked it up and now that a part of it had been released he could feel how he felt better immediately. It was as if a big stone had been lifted from his heart and soul and he could breathe easier and better. He felt …happy, really happy for the first time in years! And so did she.

And so did Red John, who watched through the camera placed in the corner of the cupboard.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is the next chapter, sorry for the wait... As always, thanks Amie and have fun reading.:)**

They slept very well that night, not knowing that someone was watching them and awoke fully relaxed the next morning.

When Jane checked his phone while they were sitting in a small cafe eating breakfast, he saw that he had several messages from Van Pelt saying that nothing was going on and that the coroner had already identified the body of the dead man in the house. It was Dennis Hawke, a nobody. He had worked for a car company in Sacramento, didn't have family and was single too. When he told Lisbon, she looked concerned and said: "Jane I haven't told you how I fled right? So there was this guy who looked familiar to me..."

When she was done he just looked at her.

"What do you think?"

"I think we have to find this guy, if he's still alive. He has obviously changed sides! He could tell us who he is! Who Red John is! He could also be a witness if we go to trial with him. We need him!"

"Jane you're right! But we won't most likely won't find him while Red John is still out there! He'll be too afraid to come out of his hiding place, and I don't blame him, because Red John would probably kill him if he could find him...And I hope he hasn't found him by now."

Lisbon thought about what he'd just said and had to totally agree with him. It was senseless to look for the portiere with Red John still out there. They should concentrate on finding Red John first and with what she'd heard by now the possibility of catching him got bigger all the time.

Jane had to tell her about the two suspects that were left on his list, because then he would be able to go ahead with catching the evil serial killer. And so he did.

When Lisbon heard that they got it down from three people to two, she was very excited and happy that Bertram was finally off the game. Jane of course knew how glad she was that they didn't have to suspect her boss to be an evil man, but he had to tell her that Red John could know him nevertheless, or in the worst case, have been giving him information.

Thinking about how everyone he knew could be part of an evil network always made him anxious and sad, because he would like a world where everyone was trustworthy. Who didn't?

But at least he had Lisbon. She was the most honest person he'd ever met and she was a terrible liar which underlined the first thing for him even more. Even if she denied it, he could read her quite well and so he had known stuff about her she didn't even know herself. He had known that she had had feelings for him all the time, but he wasn't sure of which nature they were.

Friendship-feelings, or actual romantic love? He couldn't tell.

But now he was sure, he was sure she loved him, not just because she had told him no, but because he saw it in the way she looked at him, how they talked and most importantly, how she treated him.

He was first priority for her now and he knew it, and it was the same with him.

He had always cared about her more than any other person he'd known after he had joined the CBI, but now that they were unofficially together, the need of protecting her got bigger every second he thought about her getting in danger.

He knew that he wouldn't have gotten that far in getting his revenge and he wouldn't have learned to love again without her.

By being loyal, nice and strict towards him she'd done more than any psychologist could've done for him. He could say that he'd been "healed".

It was a strange feeling to be loved after all this years of loneliness and self hate. He had finally found what he was looking for even if not as expected.

She was his lottery price, without the lot of coincidences he had witnessed; he maybe would've ended up dead or in the psychiatric clinic. Just imagine that that guy from Lisbon's old team hadn't hit him...

So they were sitting in the cafe when suddenly Jane's phone rang, Lisbon hadn't had the time to buy a new one yet... so they had managed to transfer all her calls to his phone.

"It's Van Pelt..." he told Lisbon and pushed the green button.

"Hey Jane, is Lisbon there?"

"Sure! Lisbon, Van Pelt wants to talk to you!"

He handed her the phone.

When Van Pelt talked to her he could see how her facial expression turned from mid-happy to 'a family member just died' and he knew this couldn't mean anything good.

"Yes, sure ...but I have to tell him. Track down the server where the computer is located...!" was all he heard...

So when she stopped talking he looked at her curiously and asked her what was going on.

"Jane... Van Pelt got a video message again. I'm sorry..."

"No... Lisbon what do you want to tell me? Lisbon look at me, who is it this time?"

"Jane I'm so sorry but he killed Danny Ruskin..."

Jane lifted his hands and combed through his hair. He couldn't believe it. Hadn't he gone through enough pain yet? Why did he have to make it worse?

"Look at me, Jane" she said and took his hand. I know this is so unfair and you so do not deserve it, but we have to catch him before he kills someone else..." He tried not to look in her eyes, because he had tears in his eyes and when he'd look at her they would escape for sure.

"Lisbon, was there anything weird at the crime scene? Any signs of a copycat? A message or something like that?"

"I guess you could say that there was a message... you'll have to look for yourself."

They arrived at the crime scene after an hours drive. It wasn't that far away and they had decided that they would be safe with all the police around.

When Jane looked at the dead body he couldn't believe that Red John had really done this- his wife's brother. Someone who would always remind him of her and then of his daughter. He remembered when he'd last seen him. He had gotten them both in big trouble.

But in the end he was pretty sure that he'd forgiven him...

So when he looked at the crime scene, still a little dazed from the shock, he noticed the blood which was spread on the floor. It had been shaped into letters. "DO YOU GIVE UP NOW?" was written there. He didn't even think about it. No, definitely no. Now that Red John had killed his brother in law, he had even more motivation to catch him. And then he could swear that his heart skipped a beat when he thought about how lucky Lisbon had been. She could've ended up just like Danny. Dead.

But she was standing next to him, full of painkillers, but breathing.

It was good that he wasn't alone with this, but that was the only thing that was good in that situation...

They managed to get to a pharmacy and then back to another motel. They had told Van Pelt that she had to send them every piece of information she got with a secret and safe e-mail account that she had created with her new skills. She wasn't happy that they left again, the whole team wasn't, but there was no other choice. They had to disappear again. They didn't tell anyone where they were going and it was good this way, because there was a very observant guy standing a few feet away from them, who belonged to the CBI tech team.

When they arrived at the motel, the first thing to do was to get Lisbon to sleep, because her injury caused her a lot of pain. She said it got better, but Jane didn't believe her and she knew that he didn't.

Once she lay down, she looked at him. He was putting the Danny's files on the desk and studying them.

His facial expression was tensed and the wrinkles he had looked even deeper than usual. He hadn't slept in a while now and it had an effect on his appearance. But he was right.

If they wanted to catch Red John they had to stay strong, which she just didn't manage. Her shoulder kept her from doing all the important stuff. It distracted her when she wanted to think about the case and it kept her from sleeping. All in all she wasn't a help at all and it bugged her like hell.

She was nothing but a bother now on his hunt... She should get away from him, she knew. She should just leave him alone and let him do his thing, but she was too curious and way too much in love to go away.

She needed to be sure that he was ok. She had needed to know when he had been in Las Vegas for six months, although she couldn't do it then and the effect it had had on her was cruel. She had been sad and alone, and that feeling was one of the worst feelings she had ever felt in her life. She never wanted to feel like that again. Ever. So she stayed and hoped it got better...


	7. Chapter 7

**So this is the last chapter, cause I had the feeling it would get boring if I added some more...hmmm So I hope you like it, as always ^^and thank u sooooo much Amie! Let me know what you think;)**

They had him. They had Red John. He was sitting right in front of them, staring at them like a psychopath, which he must be for sure, his hands and feet tied to the chair with hand cuffs and chains. He had made a mistake. He had made a huge mistake, which had given them the chance to catch him and finally, after so many years, put him behind bars.

Lisbon stared at the man sitting on the other side of the reflecting window. She couldn't describe how she felt, now that they had finally accomplished the mission they had had for about a decade. It had been a part of their lives, a bad part, but a part and it was like something was gone from their minds.

The constant fear and pressure of a man being after them and spying on them had been lifted off of their minds and hearts and that was a huge change for all of them. Their fear of losing the people they cared about most had been almost programmed in their thoughts and it had made all of them sad and tensed up all the time. It was not like they didn't have any good or fun times at all, but the danger was always surrounding them.

That part was gone and it felt weird and good at the same time.

Jane was sitting next to her on the table, his head turned towards the glass and his eyes staring at the man behind it. His expression said that he was completely relaxed, but she knew that he was anxious and excited about what would happen to him.

Of course he had wanted revenge and it had been his plan for so long now and he didn't know when exactly he had changed his mind about that...maybe when he'd realized that a life in jail was way more of a punishment; to be alone in a cell the whole day, waiting for death to come...

Also Teresa had convinced him that she, as the law in person, couldn't let him kill him.

It was something that would've made her lose her job and even Jane didn't want to be responsible for that.

He had always known that this would be a reason for them to fight, he had seen it coming long time ago, and he had known that they would have to have a serious discussion. When the time had come, they had had one.

They had talked for a few hours and in the end hadn't really agreed... they decided that they would let things happen, as they came and the way that it had ended was a surprise all the way through.

Van Pelt had called them early, one week after the Danny Ruskin murder and told them how someone had called at the office telling them that he knew who RJ was and that he had evidence with him. The man on the phone had said that they should meet at the art museum in Sacramento in the cafe at 5. But only Lisbon and Jane.

They had agreed to go there together, heavily armed and when they got there, they had waited a bit. Then a man in a hoodie had turned up. Lisbon had gasped when she'd recognized him; it was the clerk from the CBI. He had given them an evidence bag containing a knife with fingerprints and the blood of the last victim before Danny. Also some used gloves and a mobile phone.

The man hadn't eaten or drunk anything and he had said that he'd come to the CBI when Red John would've been caught, until then he would stay in hiding. The meeting hadn't lasted longer than 15 minutes, because he had to hurry to get into hiding again, which was understandable.

They had given the evidence straight to Van Pelt who gave it to a really trustworthy medical examiner and scientist, who had confirmed Red John's real identity only a few hours later.

They'd only had to catch him then, which had been a question of timing and clever planning.

Jane came up with a genial plan only two hours later, which would allow them to put Red John behind bars the following day.

They went to sleep that day very late and awoke early, so they could set the trap. Their motel room had been secure this time, so there were no barriers or hidden things in their way, which could be a problem for them. There were no cameras like in the last room they had (Cho had told them there had been one when he had checked the room the other day for evidence) and they both were sure the plan would work.

Jane called him shortly before 10am and had told him that he'd given up. Lisbon couldn't describe how sad his voice had sounded when he had told Red John that she was dead. He explained that the injuries had gotten worse and hadn't healed and in the end she'd died of a simple blood poisoning.

The hospital had been informed to tell anyone who called that she was dead and even her brothers were informed of her death. There had been an announcement in the newspapers and a black flag had been hung at the CBI headquarters. They had got the full package.

And he had believed him. After an hour or so he had called back and had told him where to meet him- a lonely parking lot at the mall where he had shot Carter two years ago.

The FBI and a few swat teams had been called and ordered to the parking lot, hiding in everyday cars and under the seats there. Since Jane had promised to come unarmed and without backup with creepy laughter in the end to make it sound more realistic, they'd thought he would buy it. And he had.

Everything else went as smooth as imagined and when Red John had come the SWAT team surrounded him and pointed at him with the red laser lights on their guns. They danced on his chest like a little red firework and made him stand straight without any movement. "You really did believe me" Jane had said stunned by the stupidity of his fiend, before he punched him right into the face.

Red John stumbled against a car and Jane left to the safe car where Teresa was sitting and waiting for him. She'd said nothing, just took his hand and laid her head against his shoulder.

And there they were now, sitting in the interrogation room staring at the man who had kept them apart for so long. It was good to know that they were both alive and nearly happy. One thing was missing. Red John needed to be locked away, safely and far, far away from them. But the court trial was still ahead of him. They had evidence. They had lots of evidence, and more, because of the man in the hoodie. They had a witness and that was more than they could wish to have. They just had to be careful that he didn't die in a mysterious way...

When they were done talking to him they went home to Teresa's apartment to think about what had happened so far and what they should do with their relationship now.

Teresa was relieved and so glad to finally be home after that long day. All she wanted to do now was lie down and sleep, but there were some important things to talk about.

After working with Patrick Jane for so long now, she still didn't know what he thought about his life after Red John was gone.

She didn't know whether he would stay at or leave the CBI.

His mission was gone, he had nothing to work for anymore and there was simply no motivation left to keep working, she thought. Although she knew now that he loved her, she wasn't sure if he would stay or really start a new life somewhere else, with someone else. It was really something she didn't like about herself, that she was so insecure concerning trust and love, but she couldn't help herself! It was an effect of being alone and in a position where she had to be the mother and the leader for years. And it had changed her. She had to take responsibility of things she would've rather not even known about and had to look after men and her brothers when they had been kids. Her parent's history hadn't helped at all to build up her trust in people, her mother was dead and her father hadn't been able to take responsibility at all after he'd started drinking. All in all she would say that she was damaged, a lot. But she thought she could manage being together with him, could manage to love again and it was hard, but she would do it for him.

He was silent on the drive back to her apartment. He drove, because of her shoulder and he had agreed to come with her, because he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts.

He didn't want to go crazy, which like he had noticed lately, was something that created a serious problem.

All the stress about Red John and the worries weren't good for him and anyone surrounding him. He didn't want to hurt anyone! He wasn't that kind of person, he wanted the world to be peaceful and quiet, at least for some time. He really needed it now. When Teresa had said they had to talk, he had agreed and gotten into the car, but he wanted to talk in the apartment and not while they were driving. Her shoulder had gotten a little better, but not well by now and he had decided to take her to the hospital the next day.

She wasn't driving, he had insisted on it, because she was still on painkillers although not so many anymore, but still enough to make it a reason to not let her drive.

When they arrived they entered the apartment, heading for the table, sitting down facing each other.

"Jane..." she wanted to start, but he interrupted her.

"No Lisbon, me first. I have thought about this for a really long time now and please think about it before you say no. So I know I have been way too secretive and self centered and I know how much I've hurt you by acting the way I did. I know I was wrong in doing this to you; you deserve someone way better than me. And I thought about leaving, I really did, but then I would hurt you even more and I would've hurt myself for leaving you and I can't Teresa, I can't."

She looked at him, her eyes wide opened and her cheeks a little reddish. "Jane..." she tried to interrupt him, but he didn't want her to.

" Teresa Lisbon, I...I can't live without you, would you marry me?"

She totally hadn't expected that and the shock made her sit there like a statue and Jane had to take her hand to awake her again... She was confused, but when her thoughts cleared after a few minutes she said the truth, and nothing but the truth.

"I love you" was all she said as she looked him in the eyes, thinking of their bright future together.

**Haha this is the end now an****d I don't know what to say so I'll just write that I'd love to get some reviews and it was a lot of fun to write the story. :))I hope you had fun reading it too and I also have to write : **_**The Characters I used in this story and "the mentalist" aren't mine**_**(I f I had them the show would continue like the story here^^)hahaha:D Ok, until the next time, folks:))**


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